Imus is Just a Distraction

I read some of the comments regarding my post on Imus. No surprises there. I was struck by a few "It's a black thing and you can't understand" posts. I thought the whole idea was that I could understand. That's why we're bothering to discuss this.

In spite of that, some good articles in the Times op-ed, particularly Robert Wright in Saturday's paper. Wright writes about the inevitability of this periodic moral venting we see in our culture. We take Imus out and shoot him because he happens to be doing his thing precisely at the time that some influential, opportunistic or (in the case of the Rutgers team) wholly innocent and undeniably aggrieved party says "Enough!"

Wright, Frank Rich and countless others mention Mel Gibson, Sascha Baron Cohen, Ann Coulter. A little time in the penalty box here and there. Some heat and kvelling from Kazakh ministers, perhaps. But no firings. Everyone in show business knows it's a crap shoot. Les Moonves fired Imus and South Park is just as outrageous and offensive as anything Imus did. Yeah? So? Hollywood is the international headquarters of moral hypocrisy. Make that joint headquarters. The East Coast office is Capitol Hill.

Add another name to that list. The United States Department of Defense. Let's chat about how the Army exploits economically deprived minorities and offers them careers in the military. Cash, clothes, a car. (Don't hold your breath for that armor plating, though.) Some of these men have criminal records, which the Army, in order to meet recruitment numbers, has chosen to increasingly overlook. The Army is pitched as a chance to start your life over. To do something meaningful. To be somebody. To be a part of something where guns and aggression and codes of honor are taken out of the illegal gang arena and shifted over to "serving the American people."

Don't get me wrong. We need an army. Sometimes, we need to fight to uphold what we believe. To defend what is ours, fair and square. But this Imus crap is just another distraction from what really matters. The Attorney General may be a corrupt, lying hitman for the Bush-Cheney junta. The war is a disaster that is being prolonged in order to potentially embarrass Democrats in 2008. Global warming is now recognized as a major and looming emergency by literally everyone on Earth but the White House. And Republicans have a couple of real doozies on deck to run for the presidency. And remember...electing presidents is what Republicans do better than Democrats overall. When they put their shoulder into it and the stars line up, they could elect a gay sheep if they really tried.

Enough about Imus. It's over. He's gone. You feel better now?